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Nature and Science August 2019
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Wayfinding: The Science and Mystery of How Humans Navigate the World
by M.R. O'Connor
What it is: a multidisciplinary examination of wayfinding, which includes spatial orientation, navigation, perception, and culturally specific practices of interacting with one's environment.
What else it is: a thought-provoking book that frames maps, compasses, and other navigation technologies as tools of European imperialism.
Read it for: the author's interactions with experts in traditional navigation from the Arctic, Australia, and the South Pacific.
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The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall
by Mark W. Moffett
What it's about: the development of human civilization from "individual recognition societies" characterized by small and intimate groups (think chimpanzees) to modern-day "collective marker" societies based on distinctions between in-groups and out-groups.
Further reading: For other recent perspectives on this topic, check out Edward O. Wilson's Genesis: The Deep Origins of Societies or Nicholas A. Christakis' Blueprint: The Evolutionary Origins of a Good Society.
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Adventures in Cryptozoology : Hunting for Yetis, Mongolian Deathworms, and Other Not-so-mythical Monsters
by Richard Freeman
Explore the world through its most unlikely creatures: Cryptozoology, the study of hidden, monstrous, and legendary animals, is truly the art of discovering the unknown. Richard Freeman, Zoological Director of Centre for Fortean Zoology, has explored the corners of the five continents on the search for creatures that many people believe are non-existent. In this book, he shares the exciting stories of his investigations of the Yeti, Mongolian Deathworm, Loch Ness Monster, Orang-Pendak, Ninki-Naka, and more.
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Eating the sun : small musings on a vast universe
by Ella Frances Sanders
"An illustrated exploration of the principles, laws, and wonders that rule our universe, our solar system, our world, and our daily lives from the bestselling creator of Lost in Translation"
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The cat in the box
by Chris Ferrie
An award-winning physicist breaks down Schrodinger’s cat paradox, in this whimsical picture book perfect for every scientist.
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Underland: A Deep Time Journey
by Robert Macfarlane
What it is: a lyrical and wide-ranging exploration of the world beneath our feet from tunnels and caves to catacombs and burial chambers to underground vaults and bunkers.
Why you might like it: Nature writer Robert Macfarlane embarks on a journey both literal and metaphorical, connecting real-world observations to representations of the underworld in mythology, art, and literature.
Want a taste? "Into the underland we have long placed that which we fear and wish to lose, and that which we love and wish to save."
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Cribsheet : a data-driven guide to better, more relaxed parenting, from birth to preschool
by Emily Oster
By digging into the data, [Emily] Oster found that much of the conventional pregnancy wisdom was wrong. In Cribsheet, she now tackles an even great challenge: decision making in the early years of parenting. As any new parent knows, there is an abundance of often-conflicting advice hurled at you from doctors, family, friends, and the internet. From the earliest days, parents get the message that they must make certain choices around feeding, sleep, and schedule or all will be lost. There's a rule--or three--for everything. But the benefits of these choices can be overstated, and the tradeoffs can be profound... She also shows parents how to think through freighted questions like if and how to go back to work, how to think about toddler discipline, and how to have a relationship and parent at the same time. Economics is the science of decision-making, and Cribsheet is a thinking parent's guide to the chaos and frequent misinformation of the early years.
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Alpha girls : the women upstarts who took on Silicon Valley's male culture and made the deals of a lifetime
by Julian Guthrie
"Alpha Girls is reporter Julian Guthrie's powerful account of four women pioneers in the field of venture capital who bucked the system and found ways to survive and thrive in the cutthroat, high-stakes, male-dominated world of Silicon Valley. The closed-doors investment decisions made by venture capitalists have the power to fund new startups and shape our economy, our technology, and our world. They have enabled the very existence of many of the world's most profitable companies. Known for their risk-taking and prescient investments, the VC community has reaped tens of billions of dollars and has become the envy of Wall Street. Yet thanks to the "bro-grammer culture" that rules the VC world, it is a cabal that is almost a foreign country for women. A mere 6 percent of general partners at VC firms are women; roughly 80 percent of VC firms have never had a woman general partner. But there are a few. Armed with unprecedented access to the secretive VC universe, Guthrie uncovers one of the great untold stories of the digital era. Against all odds, a small cadre of women--pioneers who Guthrie calls the "alpha girls"--have determinedly made their way despite harassment, second-class citizenship, and men stealing the credit and the rewards, to become powerhouses of the finance world. Through their grit and smarts and determination, they helped to launch the IPOs of some of the biggest tech firms. In Alpha Girls, Guthrie tells their story"
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The doomsday calculation : how an equation that predicts the future is transforming everything we know about life and the universe
by William Poundstone
In the 18th century, the British minister and mathematician Thomas Bayes devised a theorem that allowed him to assign probabilities to events that had never happened before. It languished in obscurity for centuries until computers came along and made it easy to crunch the numbers. Now, as the foundation of big data, Bayes' formula has become a linchpin of the digital economy. But here's where things get really interesting: Bayes' theorem can also be used to lay odds on the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence; on whether we live in a Matrix-like counterfeit of reality; on the "many worlds" interpretation of quantum theory being correct; and on the biggest question of all: how long will humanity survive? The Doomsday Calculation tells how Silicon Valley's profitable formula became a controversial pivot of contemporary thought. Drawing on interviews with thought leaders around the globe, it's the story of a group of intellectual mavericks who are challenging what we thought we knew about our place in the universe. The Doomsday Calculation is compelling reading for anyone interested in our culture and its future.
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The moon : a history for the future
by Oliver Morton
An award-winning science writer and senior editor for the Economist explores mankind's relationship with the Moon, from the earliest astronomers to the first space flights and speculates on our future interactions with Earth's closes neighbor. 25,000 first printing
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| Neil Armstrong: A Life of Flight by Jay BarbreeWhat it is: an engaging biography of astronaut Neil Armstrong, who, on July 20, 1969, made history as the first person to walk on the moon.
About the author: During his 50-year career as a journalist, veteran NBC space correspondent Jay Barbree reported on every single crewed launch of the U.S. space program.
You might also like: James R. Hansen's First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong, which delves into the personal life of a very private individual. |
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| Shoot for the Moon: The Space Race and the Extraordinary Voyage of Apollo 11 by James DonovanWhat it is: a comprehensive history of the space race, beginning with the 1957 launch of Sputnik and culminating in the Apollo 11 Moon landing.
Reviewers say: "[Author James] Donovan knows how to tell a gripping story" (NPR).
Further reading: Chasing the Moon by Robert Stone and Alan Andres, American Moonshot by Douglas Brinkley, and Apollo's Legacy by Roger D. Launius. |
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| Apollo 8: The Thrilling Story of the First Mission to the Moon by Jeffrey KlugerWhat it is: an exciting account of the Apollo 8 mission that blends technical details of the mission with profiles of its participants.
Why you might like it: Science writer Jeffrey Kluger draws on interviews with crew members Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders, as well as materials from the NASA Oral History Project, to recreate the mission.
You might also like: Robert Poole's Earthrise, which examines the creation of the iconic photograph of Earth as seen from space. |
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| Rocket Men: The Daring Odyssey of Apollo 8 and the Astronauts Who Made Man's First... by Robert KursonIntroducing: Apollo 8 astronauts Frank Borman, Jim Lovell, and Bill Anders, who carried out one of NASA's most challenging missions.
What they did: Given 50-50 odds of returning safely, the trio risked their lives to complete the first crewed lunar orbit in December 1968.
Why you might like it: Rocket Men contrasts the lofty achievements of the astronauts with historical events of a turbulent period in U.S. history. |
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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